When I think of the difference between Donald Trump’s first term and Donald Trump’s second term, the image that comes to mind is of the president bombing.
Not the country, in this case – a comedy routine.
It was the keynote speech this January at the Alfalfa Club dinner, a hokey Washington institution that exists only for the president to appear once a year and drop a bunch of jokes prepared by his reporters.
Trump broke history and skipped it in his first term, but decided to give it a shot this time. On the surface, it might seem like a subtle return to some sort of presidential normalcy — just like his first appearance in the limelight. White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday, a press conference that traditionally features a set of presidential positions.
But when Trump stood up in his black tuxedo and addressed the Alfalfa Club advanced membershipwhich primarily consists of long-time politicians and Fortune 500 CEOs, did not go well. This is the Washington Post he explained the incident:
Some jokes landed with a thud, and the room fell silent from time to time.
“So many people in the room I hate. Most of you I love,” he said, according to an attendee. “Who in the hell thought this would happen?”
He said he might interrupt the speech because he needed to watch the Greenland invasion, before admitting it was a joke.
“We’re not going to invade Greenland. We’re going to buy it,” he said. “It has never been my intention to make Greenland the 51st state. I want to make Canada the 51st state. Greenland will be the 52nd state. Venezuela could be the 53rd.”
Trump also pointed to Kevin Warsh, his pick to be the next Fed chairman.
“If he doesn’t lower interest rates I’m suing his ass,” Trump said. After the beat, he added, “I’m kidding.” After another beat, he concluded, “Eh…”
It’s easy to see this as a story about another dirty Washington establishment turning on Trump, but that’s not true. The reason the jokes didn’t work wasn’t the audience, or the writing, or the delivery. It’s just that they weren’t a joke – they were a policy.
While Trump spoke of his “hate” to the audience, Trump’s Justice Department was working his way through the list of his enemies. In fact, suing the Fed chairman to cut interest rates would be realistic lighter techniques; in real life, the sitting Fed chairman (a member of Alfalfa, of course) was right publicly accused The White House to launch a specious criminal investigation to achieve the same goal.
Trump made his foreign policy comments shortly after threatening to invade and annex Greenland, which sparked a global crisis that ended a few days earlier when the stock market began to melt. And the state of government was no laughing matter in Canada, whose citizens overwhelmingly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney in a “Never 51” Forum. after Trump threatened devastating tariffs if they he did not join the United States.
Trump’s first term had many people confused by his daily rhetoric. But a large amount of unusual remarks or behavior reported behind the scenes was also blown aside as hot air, or exaggeration, or dark humor to the followers who were playing. That’s even more difficult this time, when there’s often the power of government behind them, something reporters attended Trump’s speech on Saturday. understand very well.
Here’s the difference between Trump I and Trump II: Nobody’s laughing this time.
Phase one, setup. Second term, punchline.
The rough weight of Trump II vs. Trump I is an important chapter in part because this new sense of unpredictability — and the fear that often comes with it — crosses party lines. His critics and supporters have adjusted the way they see and discuss him with this change in mind.
Let’s start with his followers. During Trump’s first presidency, there was a whole mental maneuver built around the idea that people needed to tone it down a bit when it came to his inflammatory or threatening or outlandish statements.
Columnist Salena Zito, who wrote her 2016 voters on the ground, astutely noted that they often took her seriously, but not literally; when journalists took him literally, but not seriously. There were many discussions of his book in the 1980s Contract Art and its proof”hyperbole of truth,” which Trump described as “an innocent form of exaggeration.” Critics saw it as a manifesto of lying; supporters also cited it to reassure themselves that his outspokenness was informed.
Democrats were never fans of Trump’s schtick, of course. But the first term was also filled with self-styled strategists warning that Trump’s aggressive provocations were merely “distractions” meant to distract his opponents from more serious and real concerns elsewhere.
Trump and his staff were delighted maintain this idea themselves. Whenever a statement or a position raised a lot of unusual problems, it was common to ridicule people for having taken it for granted.
Did Trump say Democrats committed treason during his State of the Union address? “He was obviously joking.” Did he say he will forgive people who carry out his orders illegally? Kidding, of course! Bombing civilians? You took those things literally? Do you claim Greenland? You didn’t see his Awesome photoshop of Trump Tower in Nuuk?
Not so in Trump II: This time, his hand-picked prosecutor he actually tried to impeach elected Democrats after crying provocation (the grand jury was not amused), talk of Greenland it actually amounted to a military conflictand just this month he was reported to be floating blanket exemption for workers.
Everyone is in on the “joke” now
It’s clear that many of Trump’s remarks considered “trambals” in his first term were, in retrospect, more serious proposals that were held back by severe political obstacles or an unruly Cabinet. Now, in his second term, whether you agree with his decisions or not, these declarations are no longer closed as easily as “meaningful tweets” scolding without humor.
In his first term, Trump could have abandoned the frequent scandalous talk about being “the chosen one” or “the second coming of God” and. demanding irony. In his second term, when Trump posted a picture of himself play AI Jesusreligious conservatives were not so quick to dismiss it and force him to remove it, even as the White House. pass it off as a gag.
On the left, talk of “disruption” is also more muted. Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi boasted in 2020 that she ignored Trump’s “bait” when she tweeted. sending troops into Minneapolis and firing on unruly protesters. No one in his party say so in 2026.
In many ways, this kind of audience response is Trump’s dream. He has been plagued for decades by the notion that the world is “laughing” at America; his own addition a lifelong complaint towards Manhattan snobs mock louche Queens persona.
The story even has it (denied by Trump) that he would never have run if President Barack Obama hadn’t mocked him for the 2011 rant. White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Now is finally his big chance to return to the same step taken by his hated predecessor and give his roast.
Maybe he won’t worry about laughing too much this time.
